Need opinion about Sigma lens

[Grandpaw]

I have a Nikon D80 with a Nikon 18-200VR zoom and a Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens now. I have the opportunity to purchase a Sigma 135-400 APO zoom with the Nikon mount for for $300 still in the box with the D mount for Nikon on it. It is a 4.5 to 5.6 lens. It does not have VR on it but my question is would it be worth buying to try some bird pictures with or will I just waste my money? I am going to have the opportunity to try it for a week to see how I like it. Would I be better off waiting and putting my money to better use somewhere else? Jeff

[jorgemonkey]

I had that lens for a while, and I wasn't too fond of it. It wasn't very sharp near the 400 end, and it was really slow on the AF speed.
If I have a chance when I get home tonite I'll try to dig up some photos I got from it.

[another view]

A lot of lenses like this that go to a long focal length seem to be a little soft in the last 100mm or so. Since you have the opportunity, I'd check it out for a few days or a week and see what you think. Be sure to use it on a tripod with a fairly fast shutter speed; the longer the lens the more that shooting technique matters. You'll have plenty of time to work on that if you do end up buying the lens but rule out camera shake on a few shots by using a tripod as well as a fast shutter speed like 1/500, and maybe even a two-second self timer thrown in for good measure. That'll tell you how good the lens really is.

[mjs1973]

I have a Sigma APO lens, but not that one. Mine is a 170-500mm f/5.6-6.3 or something close to that.

I know it's compareing apples to oranges, but I will echo what the others have said. It's kind of soft on the long end and the AF is slow. I have found that if I stop down to f/9 at 500mm, I can get images that are fairly sharp. Not tack sharp, but sharp enough. At f/9 I struggle with keeping decent shutterspeeds to freeze moving birds and other critters. Be sure to test out all the apertures to see which one will give you the best image quality.

Like Steve said, use a tripod and a cable release if you have one. It is very rare that I don't use this lens on a tripod. Good technique with a long lens is very important.

[Grandpaw]

I have a Sigma APO lens, but not that one. Mine is a 170-500mm f/5.6-6.3 or something close to that.

I know it's compareing apples to oranges, but I will echo what the others have said. It's kind of soft on the long end and the AF is slow. I have found that if I stop down to f/9 at 500mm, I can get images that are fairly sharp. Not tack sharp, but sharp enough. At f/9 I struggle with keeping decent shutterspeeds to freeze moving birds and other critters. Be sure to test out all the apertures to see which one will give you the best image quality.

Like Steve said, use a tripod and a cable release if you have one. It is very rare that I don't use this lens on a tripod. Good technique with a long lens is very important.

I will be getting the lens tonight to try out for a week to see how it goes. I will try the suggestions posted on checking it out. In reading reviews on this lens there are people that think it is sharp and others that have gotten a lens that wasn't. It seems like each lens has to be considered on it's own merits. I will have the best opportunity with this lens due to the fact I can actually try the lens for sale to see how it performs. The only zoom I have used is my Nikon 18-200VR so I won't have any experience of longer zooms to compare it with. Will let you know my opinion of it in several days, Jeff

[another view]

In reading reviews on this lens there are people that think it is sharp and others that have gotten a lens that wasn't. It seems like each lens has to be considered on it's own merits.

I see a lot of talk about "good sample" vs "bad sample" - not necessarily here, but other places. Personally, I think that if half of that were really true then the companies in question would be out of business.

Funny thing is that a lot of the conversations are about telephoto lens softness. I know you've been shooting for awhile and understand that handholding a 400mm f5.6 (or whatever it is) lens will be very difficult even at 1/1000. It's much easier to expect a sharp shot on a tripod with good shooting technique. It's even easier to complain about it all over the internet. So I wouldn't worry too much about those reviews, and I'll bet the "sample" that you're looking at is pretty good. Might not be as sharp as the Nikon 400 f2.8, but then it doesn't cost as much as a new car either. Let us know how it goes!